ARAMARK, a global leader in professional services, hired 17 young professionals for the 2012 ARAMARK Environmental Sustainability Internship Program. The program provides participants with hands-on job experience as they help implement environmental solutions for ARAMARK clients at schools, universities, businesses and other locations across in the US and the UK.

In partnership with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), ARAMARK engages young people who are interested in careers that have a positive social and environmental impact. The young people also gain a practical understanding of how environmental sustainability operates within a business environment.

“We recognize that our workforce is evolving and changing and we are looking at ways to better engage young people by designing career opportunities around our shared interests. Today’s generation want to be connected to issues and concerns they care about such as corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability,” said Kathy Cacciola, ARAMARK Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability. “Through this program, we are tapping into their enthusiasm and sustainability expertise to help implement client solutions in this area.”

The 2012 class of ARAMARK Environmental Sustainability Interns are working at client locations for a period of six to nine months from Florida to Alaska, and in the UK, in a variety of different business settings, including Denali National Park (AK), Asilomar Conference Grounds (CA), Virginia Commonwealth University, and Providence School District (RI). The interns are focusing on multiple aspects of environmental sustainability, such as purchasing, energy and water conservation, building operations, and waste management.

The ARAMARK interns help implement a variety of initiatives including increasing sustainably sourced foods, reducing energy use at ARAMARK client locations, minimizing food waste at its source, composting excess food waste, and minimizing use of bottled water. Several interns have been hired into permanent positions at ARAMARK, incorporating environmental practices and infusing corporate responsibility into jobs such as Purchasing Manager and Registered Dietitian that are not thought of as “traditional” environmental jobs.

“Sustainability is not just good for the environment, it’s also good for business and essential to our future,” said Jamie Patten, SVP of Marketing for SCA. “The fact that many of the first-year ARAMARK interns have already been hired into full time jobs with the company and other corporations is indicative of the program’s genuine value and the important need these interns are fulfilling.”

SCA, which is commemorating 55 years of youth service and stewardship, has extensive experience in recruiting young professionals for environmental internships, and helps ARAMARK identify and select the interns. SCA is helping to create professional paths for young adults to multiply their environmental impact, address modern workforce development needs, and provide a competitive advantage to interns entering a tight job market.

In addition to the 15 interns hired in the US in partnership with the SCA, ARAMARK also hired two young professionals in the UK.

Caroline Gorham, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC (ARAMARK Higher Education) is responsible for tracking and increasing the procurement of sustainably sourced products and increasing the waste diversion rate.

Chelsea Rozek, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL (ARAMARK Higher Education) is responsible for tracking and increasing the procurement of sustainably sourced products.

Kira Sargent, Trinity College, Hartford, CT (ARAMARK Higher Education) is responsible for creating an energy engagement program, reducing the use of energy in building operations and engaging students, faculty and staff in resource reduction.

Tom Gilroy, Olympic Athletes’ Village, London (ARAMARK United Kingdom) joined ARAMARK three months prior to the games, to focus on sustainability in operations, particularly waste management, and supported other corporate responsibility initiatives.

Ayesha Ahmed, Olympic Athletes’ Village, London (ARAMARK United Kingdom) helped manage the Best of British food pod which served locally sourced food, and will be supporting ongoing environmental corporate responsibility programs moving forward.

The Student Conservation Association SCA is the only national organization that develops tomorrow's conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. Since 1957, SCA’s hands-on practice of conservation service has helped to develop a new generation of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save the planet. SCA is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC with offices in Boise, ID, Charlestown, NH, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, and Seattle, WA. For further information, visit www.thesca.org.